The inference being made is that two things which resemble each other in certain known respects will resemble each other in unknown respects.

example Many who oppose abortion compare it to the Holocaust, when millions of Jews were exterminated by the Nazis.

example An atheist says, I dont believe in Jesus any more than I believe in the Easter Bunny, Santa Clause, or the Tooth Fairy.

3Some sample analogies

Plato compared the world we perceive to shadows on a cave wall.

Comparing human consciousness to a flame on a candle

Comparing scientists involved in cloning research to Dr. Frankenstein.

4Recent arguments using analogy

Comparing Barack Obama to John F. Kennedy

Comparing Sarah Palin with Dan Quayle

Hillary Clinton compared herself to Rocky

Comparing marijuana laws with the prohibition era

Comparing the war in Iraq with the war in Viet Nam

Comparing Osamu Bin Laden, Saddam Hussein, and Kim Jong il.

5Political cartoons often rely on visual analogies 6Is Martha Stewart a modern day Nelson Mandela?

After being sentenced to five months in prison and two years' probation, Martha Stewart invoked the name of Nelson Mandela, South Africa's anti-apartheid hero, saying there are many, many good people who have gone to prison.

But there is a difference

Stewarts crime was for personal gain. She was convicted of lying to investigators about insider trading.

Mandela was a political prisoner. He was jailed for 27 years for opposing racial apartheid in South Africa.

7The holocaust and factory farming?

As long as human beings will go on shedding the blood of animals, there will never be any peace. There is only one little step from killing animals to creating gas chambers à la Hitler and concentration camps à la Stalin. There will be no justice as long as man will stand with a knife or with a gun and destroy those who are weaker than he is. Isaac Bashevis Singer

8Kobe Bryant and Martin Luther King?

When Kobe Bryant accepted an award for favorite male athlete at the Teen Choice Awards in Los Angeles, he invoked the words of Martin Luther King that, an injustice anywhere threatens justice everywhere.

Is Kobes situation analogous to M.L. Kings? Is a rape allegation analogous to a civil rights issue?

(Note King actually wrote Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere in his Letter from a Birmingham Jail)

9An analogy from the movie Clueless

So, OK, like right now, for example, the Haitians need to come to America. But some people are all What about the strain on our resources? But it's like, when I had this garden party for my father's birthday right? But people came that like, did not R.S.V.P., so I had to haul ass to the kitchen, squish in extra place settings, but it was like, the more the merrier! And so, if the government could just get to the kitchen, rearrange some things, we could certainly party with the Haitians. And in conclusion, may I please remind you that it does not say R.S.V.P. on the Statue of Liberty?

10Analogies about life

Life is like a box of chocolates (Forrest Gump)

Life is a sport. Drink it up (Gatorade)

Its a jungle out there.

Life is a rat race.

Life is a bitch and then you die.

Getting married is like hitching two oxen to the same yoke.

Being a student is like being a sponge. The less you know the more you can soak up.

Employees are like nails. You have to hit them on the head to get them to work.

Sex is like beer. When its good, its really really good, and when its bad, its still pretty good!

11Politics as Sports analogies

She hit that one out of the park.

This is only the first round of the playoffs.

Theyre not pulling any punches.

That was like hitting a jumper at the buzzer.

He should probably punt.

He gave a great half-time speech.

This is only round __ of a __round fight.

Hes got the ball, now hes got to run with it.

That was a big time fumble.

12applications of analogies

in politics comparing the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal to Watergate

in law case precedent or stare decisis, statutory rape laws as sexist

In economics viewing economic competition as the survival of the fittest, Adam Smiths invisible hand

Comparing the target of a scandal to Humpty Dumpty 13More applications of analogies

In history likening France refusal to vote for an invasion of Iraq as analogous to Neville Chamberlains appeasement of Hitler leading up to World War II.

in science and medicine likening the human brain to a computer, HIV to an invading army, the human heart to an electric pump, DNA molecule is like a ladder

in religion the body as a temple of the holy spirit, the tree of knowledge, Jesus as a shepherd

14literal versus figurative analogies

Literal analogies compare things that are within the same class, whereas figurative analogies entail comparisons from different classes

literal prohibition didnt work with alcohol and it wont work with marijuana either

literal Barry Bonds is the Roger Maris of the 1990s.

literal The bible is to Christianity what the Quran is to Islam

figurative John McCains reform mantra is like putting lipstick on a pig.

figurative gangs as a cancer on society

figurative teen rage as a ticking time-bomb

figurative the stain on Monica Lewinskys dress was the smoking gun in the White House sex scandal.

15Literal versus figurative analogy

Barack Obama is the John F. Kennedy of the 21st century

Barack Obamahas built up an excitement such as no candidate has created since President Kennedy in 1960... Like Kennedy, he combines personal magnetism with a strong appeal to American idealism. (William Rees-Mogg, Feb 2008, London Times)

Barack is a Mac, Hillary is a PC.

Obama, like the Mac, seems almost too good to be true. He's young, hip, inspiring. As the hipster in the Mac commercial loves to point out, a PC isn't actually all that reliable reboot, reboot. We all experienced the rollercoaster ride that wasBill Clinton's presidency.

16Literal analogy

Comparing TVs rating system with the movie rating system

17figurative computer analogy

A computer is analogous to a toilet?

18Figurative analogy

Comparing Christians to potatoes in a stew

potatoes absorb the flavor of whatever they are cooked with. In like manner, Christians are inundated daily with all kinds of sin.

19The balloon analogy of the universe 20tests of analogies

Are the two things being compared similar in their essential, relevant respects?

example Iran and North Korea

Both want to be nuclear powers, but

Iran is an oil rich nation, while N. Korea is poor

Surface features superficial resemblances between two things, such as size, color, appearance

the former target a persons race, the latter target a persons behavior Have enough points of similarity been drawn?

Are there more dissimilarities than similarities?

MPAA analogy of stealing a car or purse to downloading a movie

Are any points of difference non-critical to the analogy?

21MPAA anti-piracy warning

Structural problems with the analogy

Intellectual property law is not the same as regular property law

File sharing is not the same thing as stealing. Libraries loan out books for free.

Is the crime in uploading or downloading?

The punishment should fit the crime

22Examples of tests of analogies

Example compensation for Japanese who were interned during WWII versus reparations for African Americans who ancestors were slaves

Example comparing the government to the private sector (e.g., the DMV, post-office, public schools, etc. with private enterprise)

Example comparing scientific accomplishments (putting a man on the moon) to solutions to social problems

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For a small fee you can get the industry's best online privacy or publicly promote your presentations and slide shows with top rankings. But aside from that it's free. We'll even convert your presentations and slide shows into the universal Flash format with all their original multimedia glory, including animation, 2D and 3D transition effects, embedded music or other audio, or even video embedded in slides. All for free. Most of the presentations and slideshows on PowerShow.com are free to view, many are even free to download. (You can choose whether to allow people to download your original PowerPoint presentations and photo slideshows for a fee or free or not at all.) Check out PowerShow.com today - for FREE. There is truly something for everyone!